It's Always A Mistake To Pick Up Pre-Ground Black Pepper
Of all the many sweet, tangy, hot, and umami spices you could be cooking with, pepper can seem like the dullest and most unimpressive seasoning off the lot. While the absence of spices like garlic powder, paprika, cinnamon, and chili flakes is sorely missed in a dish, the presence of black pepper isn't as discernable unless you're looking at cacio e pepe or steak au poivre, of course. In fact, there are entire Reddit discussions dedicated to the lackluster flavor of black pepper, with one user calling it "the worst of all the spices" and "adds nothing to a dish besides a little spice."
The thing about black pepper, however, is that it isn't exactly a boring or a good-for-nothing spice; it's simply misunderstood. A big mistake that people tend to make is to use pre-ground black pepper and expect it to do wonders, which only sets the spice up for disappointment. In reality, much like other spices, black pepper tastes best when it is freshly ground and continues to lose its potent flavor over time. It isn't black pepper that's an inferior spice; it's pre-ground black pepper that is subpar in taste because that bag of pepper powder that's been sitting in your spice rack since the end of time has likely lost much of its flavor, which is why, it's not going to pack the punch that you expect it to.
Ground spices lose their potency over time
The reason why pre-ground black pepper, or any pre-ground spice for that matter, leaves much to be desired is that spices get their flavor and aroma from essential oils present within. These oils are virtually intact in whole spices, but the second whole spices are ground, the volatile oils come into contact with the air and begin to lose their flavor and aroma.
Store-bought jars of black pepper powder are often months, if not years old, which means they've been exposed to air for quite some time, and the oils present in them have lost much of their essence. By grinding whole peppercorns at home when you need them, you're making sure that the oils in the spice are not exposed to air for a second longer than needed. This isn't to say that pre-ground black pepper is an absolute no-no and shouldn't be used even when in a pinch; it simply means that its flavor is going to be more muted than the fresh stuff. It's also why some recipes specifically ask for freshly ground pepper, as it will have a fresh and robust flavor that pre-ground pepper won't.
Another advantage of grinding your own black pepper over buying a pre-ground jar is that you have the option of toasting the peppercorns before grinding them which will enhance the flavor of the spice even more. Toasting whole peppercorns will help unlock those oils inside and deepen their flavor, ultimately making the ground black pepper taste even more powerful — a potency untoasted, pre-ground black pepper simply can't replicate.
How to grind whole black peppercorns at home
Now that you know the merit of using freshly ground black pepper over a pre-ground one, the next step is to grind the pepper fresh at home whenever you need it. The most obvious thing to do is to buy a pepper mill and simply give it a few turns for freshly ground black pepper powder. That, however, isn't the only way to grind whole spices like peppercorns at home.
A mortar and a pestle is a good way to grind peppercorns coarsely, as is placing whole peppercorns on a chopping board and whacking them with a pan. You could also place peppercorns in a sealed plastic bag and pound it with a meat tenderizer. The more you whack the meat tenderizer, the finer the texture of the crushed pepper powder will be.
If you want more finely ground pepper powder with an even texture or need a bigger batch than hand-pounded methods can handle, you could always blitz the peppercorns in an electric blender. Similarly, it's also possible to grind peppercorns in a coffee grinder. The only thing to beware of when using a coffee grinder is to give it a good clean both before and after grinding peppercorns in it, lest you want your spicy black pepper laced with the taste of coffee and vice versa. Considering the many ways you could easily grind black pepper at home, buying a pre-ground version seems like a shame.